A photo captures the Hongqiao transportation hub which includes the Hongqiao International Airport and Hongqiao Railway Station. [Photo provided to en.shhqcbd.gov.cn]
In February 2021, the "Overall Plan for the Construction of the Hongqiao International Open Hub", issued by the National Development and Reform Commission, was approved by the State Council, drawing up a grand blueprint for the development of "Great Hongqiao" and "One Core and Two Belts".
Statistics show that the GDP of the 7,000-square-kilometer "One Core and Two Belts" of the Hongqiao International Open Hub increased from 2.3 trillion yuan ($333.5 billion) in 2020 to 2.69 trillion yuan in 2022, accounting for 10 percent of the total economic output of Shanghai, as well as that of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui provinces.
The Hongqiao International Central Business District, as the core area of the hub, is becoming a new benchmark for the rapid development of the Yangtze River Delta region and has seen major economic development indicators speed up in an all-round way.
Last year, the tax revenue of the Hongqiao CBD jumped 15.2 percent year-on-year after excluding the factor of tax rebates. The actual amount of foreign investment doubled and the total amount of imports and exports surged by 8.6 percent. The Hongqiao CBD's investment hit 130 billion yuan, an annual increase of more than 60 percent.
Over the past two years, Hongqiao has completed 104 key tasks and implemented 26 of the 29 policy measures specified in the plan. It has built cooperation platforms such as Jinshan-Pinghu Yangtze River Delta Science and Technology City and launched major cross-regional transport infrastructure projects such as the Shanghai-Suzhou-Huzhou High-speed Railway.
The "Shanghai Express" of the China-Europe Railway Express departing from Hongqiao reaches to Europe, Russia and Central Asia. In 2022, 53 China-Europe freight trains were launched in Hongqiao with cargoes valued at 1.3 billion yuan.
The Hongqiao hub has viewed the convention and exhibition industry as a new growth point for global trade. For instance, it has set up the Hongqiao Import Commodity Exhibition and Trading Center, a 365-day trading platform for the CIIE, with 17 sub-centers in cities such as Suzhou, Jiaxing and Hefei, and the Hongqiao International Convention and Exhibition Industrial Park has gathered more than 200 leading enterprises in the exhibition industry in China and abroad.
The hub has also striven to boost scientific and technological innovation and formed a cross-regional collaboration mechanism.
For instance, Jiading district of Shanghai signed a cooperation agreement with Suzhou city to create a world-class automobile industrial cluster, while Kunshan, Taicang, and Xiangcheng participated in the construction of the national smart transportation pilot zone.
Over the past two years, the Hongqiao hub has promoted the integration of industries and urban development with advanced infrastructure, a good living environment and efficient governance. It is home to a large number of cultural and art venues such as the Shanghai Hongqiao Contemporary Art Museum.
